Bregenz Festival, Austria

We're used to seeing James Bond in breathtaking, if unlikely, surroundings - dicing with death on the roof of the Sugarloaf mountain cable car or driving his mortar-firing Aston Martin across a glacier. But even by Bond standards the surreal backdrop to the chase scene in the latest 007 film, Quantum of Solace, is spectacular.

The set for the production of Tosca at the Bregenz opera festival by Lake Constance includes a 50m-wide "eye" - a metaphor for the opera's dark theme of a police state and its treatment of political prisoners, as well as Bond's murky world of espionage. Last month Daniel Craig was chased all over it by Green, the latest Bond villain.

As the opera progresses the eye morphs into a screen on to which the face of Tosca is projected, then a door that reveals a chorus of bishops and priests, an execution platform for Tosca's lover, Cavaradossi, and, finally, the edge from which Cavaradossi falls into the lake 20m below.

Even Q would be impressed by this feat of engineering, but in previous years the sets have been even more ambitious, at least in scale, looking more like the backdrop to Pink Floyd's The Wall concert than the set of an opera. They have included a floating book being read by a giant 12m skeleton for Verdi's A Masked Ball, and Brobdingnagian tables and chairs in what looked like the world's largest cafe for La Bohème. (The sets take so long to build that productions run for two seasons.)

The Bond crew had the luxury of shooting for two weeks with a full cast and audience of 1,300 extras, but if you're going for the festival you have to take your chances with the weather.

I spent a relaxing and sunny few days in and around Bregenz last summer, walking along the shore of the lake and driving and hiking in the Alps, and decided to leave the opera for the final evening.

Big mistake.

It had barely rained all summer, but as we were having dinner in a lakeside restaurant that evening, thunderclouds appeared on the horizon. By the time we'd made our way to the opera the sky was black and then, as the orchestra was warming up in the pit, a biblical storm rolled off the lake, sending the audience running for cover. The downpour lasted just half an hour but the evening was a washout. Apparently this only happens about twice a season, but that was no consolation.

Bregenz is a small, pretty town sandwiched between the lake and the foothills of the Alps. Up in the old town there is an imposing city wall and cobbled streets to wander round, and down in the park on the shores of the lake oompah bands made up of schoolchildren and pensioners play to holidaymakers lounging in deckchairs. Come nightfall screens are erected on the bandstand and old black-and-white movies are shown.

The old-fashioned charm of the park is a sharp contrast to the festival site, a stone's throw away. As well as the hi-tech floating opera stage there are two cutting-edge concert halls. I saw the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra perform Shostakovich's 7th symphony, Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and a little-known requiem by Benjamin Britten. There are concerts of this quality on every night for a month, and for classical music buffs these indoor performances are the highlight of the festival, but for me it didn't quite make up for missing Tosca.

The other day I finally watched the DVD of last year's performance. It was magnificent. Though it might not win the approval of purists (the actors are miked) this is opera for everyone: populist but not dumbed down, and affordable - ticket prices start at €26.

I'm going back to Bregenz next year, but this time I'll book tickets for Aida (the set designer is probably already planning a life-size floating replica of the Great Pyramid) for the first night of my stay rather than last. If thunderclouds roll off the lake again, and the performance is abandoned, at least they'll exchange my ticket for another performance.

Either that or I'll ring Daniel Craig and get him to sort it out for me. Gavin McOwan

· Tosca at the Bregenz Festival (bregenzerfestspiele.com) July 18-Aug 19 2008; Aida July 22-Aug 23 2009. British Airways (0844 493 0 787, ba.com) flies to Zurich from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City from £102 rtn. Car Del Mar (0905 8480102, cardelmar.com) rents cars from Zurich airport from £114 for four days in high season. The Haus Rüscher (0043 664 5463004, haus-ruescher.at), 10 mins walk from the lake, has rooms from €68pp B&B. Quantum of Solace will be released in the autumn.

Summerjam Cologne, Germany

The Fuhlinger See, a vast lake close to Cologne, takes on a distinctly Caribbean feel during Summerjam. The island in the middle of the lake is home to two stages for a reggae-themed weekend; this year Shaggy is headlining, alongside Stephen Marley (son of Bob) and 20 other bands and singers. There are campsites on the shores of the lake, and camping is included in the ticket price.

Ekstremsportveko, Voss, Norway

The aim of the Ekstremsportveko is to thaw out something the organisers call "Norwegian stiffness syndrome" by getting everyone dancing. You can basejump by day to warm up for performances by Morcheeba and Earth, Wind and Fire in the festival tent by night. Squeezed between mountain peaks and a vast lake, the pretty village of Voss is white-knuckle central - there are competitions for everything from hang-gliding to whitewater rafting.

Lucerne summer festival, Switzerland

Dating back to 1938, Switzerland's most prestigious summer festival is an impressive mix of classical recitals, chamber music, dance performances and children's concerts. World-renowned orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic come to play alongside the festival's own at the stunning concert hall on the lake, where taking in the views with a half-time cocktail is as spectacular as the performances themselves.

· August 13-September 21. ucernefestival.ch. Inghams (020-8780 4433, inghams.co.uk) has a week at the Hotel de la Paix in Lucerne from £617pp, including flights, transfers and half-board accommodation.

Garda-Trentino jazz festival, Italy

For two weeks the lakeside towns of Riva, Arco, Torbole and Limone sur Garda take on a 1950s feel as the annual jazz festival sets up home. Musicians from Europe, including home favourite Gianmaria Testa, play jazz standards, while musicians from South America, such as Egberto Gismondi, will bring a bossa nova touch to proceedings. As well as formal concerts, there is a "jazz cafe" programme of performances in small cafes, bars and restaurants.

· June 24-July 12. gardajazz.com. Crystal Lakes and Mountains (0871 231 5661, crystallakes.co.uk) has a week at the Hotel Mirage in Riva from £439pp, half-board, including flights.

Outdoor Aravis, French Alps

Outdoor Aravis, a family-oriented event, takes place across four Alpine villages - La Clusaz, St Jean de Sixt, Le Grand Bornand and Manigod - in the Aravis valley of the Haute Savoie, all of which will host daily free activities from 2-6pm. Le Grand Bornand will be turned into a giant adventure playground with rope walls and huge climbing frames, with instructors on hand, while La Clusaz will offer older kids the chance to try freestyle cycling and St Jean de Sixt will have watersports such as wakeboarding. Everything is free, and there is entertainment in the evenings.

Eurockéennes, Belfort, France

Babyshambles, Gnarls Barkley, Massive Attack, Moby and Ben Harper - all for £70. Eurockéennes might be France's biggest festival but it hasn't succumbed to Glastonbury-itis; it's affordable, the campsites are well organised and the site isn't so massive that you need a week to find your bearings. There are five stages and the site is surrounded by lakes. Alongside the music there's the usual mix of theatre, dance and performance art that ranges from avant-garde to downright bizarre.

Lakeside blues festival, Lake Tuusula Finland

A major date in Finland's musical calendar, this year the town of Jarvenpaa will play host to Big Jack Johnson, Duke Robillard and Delbert McClinton. There is a special programme for children, plenty of more upbeat music in the Jump Pavilion by the lake and Blues Street, in the town itself, which will have live performances from midday until the evening.

Gourmet food festival, Gstaad, Switzerland

As well as having fairytale looks, Gstaad is something of a gourmet hotspot, with excellent restaurants such as the Chesery (chesery.ch) and delicatessens selling hams and mountain cheese. In July guzzling goes full-throttle for Davidoff Gourmet Week, a festival celebrating local goodies and wine beneath the pretty mountains, with top chefs preparing posh nosh.